Assembly poll issues: CM to hold meeting post puja

After Durga puja, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a meeting with the party MPs, MLAs, recently elected councillors, district presidents, <g data-gr-id="21">zilla</g> <g data-gr-id="22">shabhadhipatis</g> and presidents of party’s different frontal organisations as part of <g data-gr-id="26">preparation</g> for 2016 Assembly poll and likely to discuss on <g data-gr-id="27">selection</g> of candidates for next year poll.

Banerjee had earlier declared that the Trinamool Congress would fight 2016 election alone without taking any “help or favour” from any party. “I only need blessings from the people,” the Chief Minister retorted.

But Banerjee is carefully weighing the consequences of a possible attempt by the rebel and disgraced MP Mukul Roy to join the newly floated outfit - Nationalist Trinamool Congress. The NTC is actually the brainchild of Roy but for tactical reasons he is maintaining a distance from it. But the way he participated in its programme to launch the festive number of its organ has caused jitters in Trinamool.

The party is worried that Roy may quit the party before 2016 Assembly poll along with a sizeable section of party leaders and followers loyal to him. For this development, Banerjee is likely to give a strong message to her own party men and asked them to be restrained, remain united and stand beside the masses.

She would likely to caution her party leaders and workers that that she would not tolerate any indiscipline in the party. Party insiders said that Banerjee may ask her party leaders that they should be prepared to fight every inch in the coming Assembly poll.

Banerjee would reportedly ask her party leaders and workers to challenge the “rainbow” coalition of the CPI-M, BJP and Congress. She earlier said, “The BJP, CPI-M and Congress have no ideology and morality. They have become irrelevant in Bengal and only resort to spreading canards against us,” she said.